Goochland School Resource Officer Wins Statewide Officer of the Year

Sgt. Ryan Leabough was honored Jan. 9 with the Virginia Law Enforcement (VALE) Mike Walter Memorial Officer of the Year Award for his decade of service as a school resource officer in Goochland County. The award, named for Trooper Mike Walter who was killed in May of 2017 in Richmond's Mosby Court, recognizes leadership and teamwork skills tied to community outreach and youth engagement.

Leabough has worked inside Goochland County schools for 10 years and is well known for shifting from uniform to whistle after classes to coach basketball, his preferred sport. "I don't do it for the awards, but it is nice when you get it," he said. "This is the only place I applied when I went into law enforcement, and when I accepted this job this is where I knew I wanted to be until I retire," Leabough added. "Goochland County means a lot to me, I mean, it raised me, so I do everything I can to give back. That's why I do youth sports and things like that, because it means a lot to me to help the youth."

Local officials framed the accolade as recognition of the informal but powerful role SROs play in building social capital. "When I walk around the school, it's, 'Hey, that's Coach Leabough.' I don't get Deputy or Sgt. Leabough, I get, 'That's Coach Leabough.' I think that's where it bonds us all together, that sports kind of brings us together," Leabough said. Sheriff Steven Creasey drew a parallel between Leabough and the award's namesake, saying, "In Goochland County, Ryan is our Mike, what Mike was in Powhatan County. Ryan does it with basketball, he has camps with basketball, he's just a great mentor for so many kids here in Goochland."

Along with a plaque, VALE presented Leabough a $350 check, which he said he planned to spend on warm-up shirts for his players. The award underscores how relatively modest investments in school-based mentoring and extracurricular programs can reinforce local ties and create pathways into public service; some people Leabough coached have later joined the sheriff's office.

For Goochland residents, the recognition illustrates how county resources allocated to school resource officers extend beyond law enforcement to youth development and retention of local talent. As school safety and community policing remain topics of local policy discussions, Leabough's award offers a concrete example of the intersection between public safety roles and community-building efforts that officials say contribute to safer schools and potentially lower long-term social costs.